How To Succeed in Hollywood

By Bruce Edwin

How do you handle a phone interview and in person
interview with an agent or manager?

If a producer, agent, manager, casting director, or anyone else
who can do anything for you in this business wants to give you their
time, take the offer, and take it in person if possible. If you
can't get their time in person, take it on the phone. If you
can't get their time on the phone, take it online.

Be prepared to give as much time to the meeting as they are
willing to give you. Any one that can get you work or make you a
star, and is willing to give you their time free to give you
advice and mentor or coach you, you should take it. If you act
impatient, in a hurry, or complain about meetings or how you have
a limited amount of time or have to be somewhere, don’t
expect them to go out of their way to do anything for you. If
someone in a position of power is willing to invest their time in
you, then you should do the same. All that time you secretly
think is a waste of breath, can end up translating in to them
trusting you enough to give you work or a deal worth thousands or
more.

Always show up to any meeting looking the part you want. Models
and actresses should generally always dress upscale sexy. Male
actors should wear dress pants and a button down shirt to
meetings or auditions, unless a part calls for otherwise. Bands
should be clean but dress their look and image. Don’t show
up anywhere wasted. Groom yourself properly. Females, if you want
to be a model or actress, do not bulk up with too much weight or
muscle.

That does not mean that you should not work out and not eat. By all means, you should exercise, and be healthy. Do not starve yourself, and always eat three nutritious meals a day. I have a list of models that I have told that they needed to gain weight, or not signed as a result of an eating disorder, and that issue should be a big concern of decision makers in Hollywood and the fashion industry, that women stay healthy and do not starve themselves.

If need be, keep yourself waxed where needed, such as
your arms. Guys, unless you are a body builder with a killer
look, wear collared t-shirts under a dress shirt. Male models, you need
to hit the gym regularly. If you have pets, lose the dog or cat
hair off the clothes before you leave home. No one wants animal
hair stuck on their furniture or such after seeing you, plus it
looks tacky.

SMOKING:

If you smoke, quit. Not only will it most likely ruin your lungs
and ultimately your life, it could even ruin your chances of
getting a job in the entertainment industry. That's right, I know
some agents and casting directors who will not even hire people
if they smell smoke on them. Face it, smoking is a horrible,
nasty habit. It makes your clothes stink, breath stink, and it
lingers on the skin. And, it will make you age faster and wear
out your skin quicker. Smoking isn't cool, it's stupid. It can
eventually kill yourself and those around you, and, it is a sign
of weakness. It is a sign of a weak will, of a person who cannot
handle life or stress, and who cannot break a bad habit.

So, make a plan if you do, to stop smoking. No one will not like
you because you don't smoke, but you can be sure, that there will
be at least some one that could hire you for a job acting or
modeling, that will not like you or not want to work with you if you
do smoke. If you smoke, chances are you usually end up around
non-smokers stinking like cigarettes. Yes, it stinks, literally. And
chances are, that job you so badly wanted, when they do smell the
stinky smoke on you, will go to, guess who? You guessed it, a
nice, clean, non-smoker.

As a former pack a day smoker as a teenager for years, I know how
it is, and how hard it is to quit, but it can be done. So if you
are a smoker and want to quit and need help, and you want free
advice that really works that you can do on your own completely
for free, call me and I will tell you. Until you quit smoking if
you do, shower afterwards and brush your teeth and use mouthwash
before any meetings.

What's the major attitude problem you encounter with
people in Hollywood?

The biggest attitude problem is just that- having a major
attitude, as in, a bad one or an egotistical one. One needs to be
accommodating, agreeable, and polite in this business, because
being a little brat will not induce one to do things for you,
especially when they have a dozen other people banging at the
door ready to take your place.

Most people I have found are negative toward or about other
people for one of four main reasons; (1), either they think they
are better than others, (2), they think they are less than others
and so are angry and try compensate, (3), they are angry at
someone or something and take it out on others, or (4), someone
or something is in their life making them miserable and feel
badly.

Whatever the case for a bad attitude if you have one, figure it
out, and correct it, because if you don’t, you will do more
harm to yourself in this business than if you did nothing. It
would actually be better to sit in a corner and do absolutely
nothing, then to do the wrong things, and tick off the wrong
people in this town. So before you do anything, learn to do the
right thing, which entails starting with treating people right.
And until you feel right and good about yourself (which
unfortunately most actors and models do not), you will not treat
others right and will not be the success you want to be.

I hope this was helpful to you. Check out the next issue here,in
which I discuss further information on how to interview, how to
book a tour, and much more. Be sure to check out the back issues
here in our archives section to see other issues of this article.
As always, you can call my office or write me via the front page
of this site for free advice.